Cover for jars or analogous vessels.



PATENTED JULY 21;"1'903.

A. L. SCHRAM. COVER POR JARS 0R ANALOGOUS VESSELS.

APPvLIOATIONIII-ED JAN. 24. 1903.

N0 MODEL.

lli

UNITED STATES Patented .my 21, 1903.

` PATENT OFFICE.

COVER FOR JARS OR ANALOGOUS VESSELS.

:.PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters'ratem No. 734,140, dated rdiy21,1903.

Application filed January 24, 1903. Serial No. 140,372. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern: Y

Beitknown that I, ALEXANDER L. SOHRAM, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residingatWoodstock, in the Province of Ontario and Dominion ofCanada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Covers for Jars orAnalogous Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a hermetic closure for fruit and other jars,bottles, or other analogous vessels.

The object of the invention is to provide a cover, top, or cap of simpleand inexpensive construction which is complete in itself and is adaptedto hermetically close the jar, bottle, or other vessel without theemployment of any fastening devices,separate or detachedpacking-gaskets, or other means which are liable to be detached and lostor broken.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of afruit-jar cover embodying the invention. tion of the cover and upperportion of a jar, showing the cover about to be applied to the jar. Fig.3 isasimilar view showing the cover in sealing or closing position. Fig.4 is a bottom plan view of the cover, partially broken away to show theair-escape opening in the an- -nular wall of the cover.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The cover, top, or cap is of inverted-cup shape having a head A and acircumferential annular wall B, which is preferably vertical, as shownin the drawings. Y

O represents an annular packing gasket or ring of flexible elasticmaterial, preferably rubber, which is permanently secured or attached atits outer edge to the lower portion of the annularwall B of the cover,top, or cap. The packing-gasket is relatively wide and projects inwardlyfrom the annular wall of the cover, top, or cap, beingnormallysubstantially iiat or horizontal, as shown in Fig. l. The cover,top, or cap is preferably made, by stamping or otherwise, from sheetmet-al and is provided at the lower edge of its annular wall with anoutwardly-projecting lateral flange D, against the under face of whichthe packing-gasket is securely held by the inturned outer edge d of theflange, which engages the under face of the gasket. The

Fig. 2 is a vertical sec latter is tightly and permanently clamped orgrasped between the lateral iiange and its inturned outer edge. Thismanner of securing the gasket is desirable, aords a strong durableconnection, and lends a neat attaching Aappearance to the cover, top, orcap. The

annular wall of the cover, top, or cap is provided with oue or moreair-escape openings, apertures, or passages e, adapted to be closed orsealed by the packinggasket when the cover is in place over the jar.

F represents the upper portion of a fruitjar, other jar, bottle, oranalogous vessel, which is provided with a mouth surrounded by a neck orwall over which the cover, top,

or cap is adapted tobe placed and preferably having a horizontalshoulder f at the base of said neck and the usual external lip or bead fat the top of the neck.

When the cover, top, or cap is applied to the jar, the neck 'of thelatter engages the packing-gasket, and when the cover is pressed downover the neck the packing-gasket is stretched and turned up between theouter neck of the jar and the annular wall of the cover, beingcompressed between the latter and lip of the jar. The air-escape openingor passage in the annular wall of the cover is so located that it is notobstructed or closed by the packing gasket until the cover is pressednearly or completely over the neck of the jar. The air in the neck andcover which is displaced by the downward movement of the cover thereforeescapes or passes through the escape opening or passage until the covernearly or fully reaches its final position. In closing jars iilled withhot material, asin canning fruit and the like, the displacement of theair from the jar and cover will be materially aided by the expansion ofthe air, which becomes heated from the h eat of the contents of the jar.l W'hen the cover has been forced into place on the jar, as shown inFig. 3, the inner edge of the gasket is tightly bound or compressedbetween the annular wall of the cover and the neck of the jar at orabove the air-escape opening or passage, so that the latter `iseffectually closed or sealed against the entrance of air into the jar.The cover is held securely on the jar both by the external atmosphericpressure on the cover and the -binding action of the IOO gasket betweenthe neck and annular wall of of the cover. While the cover will holdwell on the jar the neck of which has a straight outer face and aords asatisfactory closure for many purposes, the cover is preferably employedin connection with jars, bottles, or vessels having external lips at theends of the necks, for the reason that the elastic packinggasket tendsto contract below the lip, and thus adds still further to theeffectiveness of the closure, for in canning fruit and the like Thesteam rising from the hot contents ofthe jar or the expansion of the airremaining in the jar tends to lift or unseat the cover, but the gaskethas a sufficiently firm hold beneath the lip of the jar to retain thecover in place. The cover can be removed from the jar by prying up oneside thereof su'icient-ly to allow the entrance of air to the jarthrough the air-escape opening or passage or by introdncing a pointedinstrument into the airescape opening or passage and pressing the gasketaway from the opening to allow the entrance of air. Y

I claim as my inventionl. A vessel cover, top or cap comprising a head,an annular wall provided with an airescape passage, and a eXible gasketsecured to said cover and projecting laterally from said annular wallbelow said air-escape passage and adapted to extend up between theannular wall and the wall of the vessel and close said air-escapepassage in said annular wall of the cover top or cap, substantially asset forth.

2. A vessel cover, top or cap comprising a head, an annular wall adaptedto surround the neck of the vessel and provided with an air-escapepassage, and a flexible gasket permanently attached to the lower portionof said annular wall and projecting inwardly therefrom and adapted toextend up between said annular wall of the cover and neck of the vesseland close said air-escape passage, substantially as set forth.

3. A vessel cover, top or cap comprising a head, an annular wall adaptedto surround the neck of the vessel and provided with an air-escapepassage, a lateral flange at the lower edge of said annular wall, andhaving its outer edge turned inwardly, and an elastic gasket clampedbetween said ange and its inturned edge and projecting inwardly fromsaid annular wall and adapted to extend up between said annular wall ofthe cover and the neck of said vessel and close said air-escape opening,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a vessel having a neck provided with an externallip, of a cover, top or cap for said vessel comprising a head, anannular wall adapted to surround the neck of said vessel and providedwith an air-escape passage, and an elastic gasket secured to said coverand projecting inwardly from said annular wall and adapted to close thespace between said lip of the vessel and said annular wall of the coverto prevent the entrance of air to the vessel through said air-escapepassage, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 22d day of January, 1903.

ALEXANDER L. SCHRAM.

Witnesses:

HENRY J. FINKLE, MAY E. FIELD.

